Leaders of Today

Citywide Youth Coalition leaders Jamila and Jeremy Cajigas at the 2020 March For Racial Justice. Photo credit Thomas Breen Photos.

As protest marches for racial justice swept the country following the killing of African Americans by police, the largest rally in New Haven was organized by local teens with the Citywide Youth Coalition. An estimated 5,000 people came to the New Haven Green, joining the young leaders in a demand for change. Read more about the march in the New Haven Independent

"Youth activism is happening at Citywide," says Citywide Youth Coalition Executive Director Addys Castillo. "We don't look at our youth as the leaders of tomorrow," We look at them as the leaders of right now."

At the heart of Citywide Youth Coalition's mission is creating opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills and be engaged in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Now more than four-decades-old, the youth organization supports and runs programs based on the Positive Youth Development model of adolescent behavior. The model is based on research that shows when young people have a variety of experiences to learn, participate in decision making, and are supported by nurturing adults, they develop "protective factors" that help them avoid making bad decisions.

Castillo, who took the reins of the coalition in 2017, has made a point of expanding its reach to include more young people and let them take charge of the coalition meetings and activities. And the area youth have responded.

Citywide Youth Coalition activists on the steps of New Haven City Hall rallying for sanctuary schools. Photo provided by Citywide Youth Coalition.

The members collaborate to pick issues around which to create a policy agenda. Past issues have included juvenile justice, sanctuary schools, and clean water advocacy for the residents of Flint Michigan. They also set the topics for the monthly "Dinner and Dialogue" meetings, which tackle a different issue each month at the public library and regularly attract 50 or more attendees.

The youth are also creating actions out of their meetings. They created a campaign to raise awareness of a criminal case against a peer New Haven student being tried in adult court and facing 61 years in prison for being present at the scene of an assault he alleges he did not commit. And they organized a rally on the New Haven Green following the presidential election that attracted more than 400 attendees.

In addition to creating opportunities for youth members, Citywide Youth Coalition also provides a network for youth serving organizations and people who work with youth to exchange ideas and receive training.

Citywide Youth Coalition is funded by individual donations and grants from corporate and private foundations including from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

To learn more about Citywide Youth Coalition, visit its profile on giveGreater.org.

Did you know?

The five Cs of positive youth development (PYD) are: competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring, leading to youth contributions, the "sixth C" of PYD.

This story is part of the Inspiration Monday story series produced by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.